The essential elements of second-degree murder differ from those of first degree murder. The criminal act for both crimes is the same: the killing of another person. What separates the two is the perpetrator's mental state at the time of the killing. First degree murder involves a premeditated killing. In other words, the killer made a plan to kill the victim and then carried that plan out. Second degree murder does not require premeditation, however.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS. For the top five soccer players in the world, salaries averaged $14.67 million. Real Madrid's star forward Cristiano Ronaldo earns $17.06 million a year. Lionel Messi, 22, is the youngest among the highest-paid soccer stars with $13.74 million. Olympic medal winner Samuel Eto'o has a contract worth $13.74 million.
3. At 22, Lionel Messi is the youngest player to make the top 20 list of highest-paid soccer stars. Messi's 2009-2010 contract is worth $13.74 million. Messi, a striker for Spanish champions Barcelona, will represent his home country, Argentina, at this year's World Cup.ut to the rest of the world, he's pretty much an average professional footballer -- at least in terms of salary. Beckham's nearly $6.5 million annual contract doesn't even crack the list of the top 20 highest-paid soccer stars, and barely puts him onto the list of the top 50 earners in the sport.